Intensify Smart Mobility, 9 Out Of 10 Jakarta Residents Now Easy To Access Transjakarta Services

JAKARTA - PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) is intensifying the transformation towards public transportation services that are oriented towards customer accessibility.

President Director of Transjakarta Welfizon Yuza said the company's new direction is no longer focused on bus operations, but on the needs of the people being served.

According to Welfizon, major changes began in 2015, when Transjakarta transformed from the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) to Limited Company (PT). The transformation, he said, brought fundamental changes in the way the company understands its service users.

"In the past, the operational driven was (perspective), so the service was driven from an operational perspective. But since 2016, we have changed the pattern not to be pushed from the operational side, but to withdraw from the customer side (customer)," Welfizon said in a discussion at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Tuesday, November 4.

To date, service coverage has reached 91.8 percent of the Jakarta area. In other words, 9 out of 10 residents of the capital city can reach the Transjakarta bus stop within 5 to 10 minutes of walking.

"So, 9 out of 10 Jakarta residents, walking 5-10 minutes to any direction, we will definitely meet a bus stop or bus stop," said Welfizon.

He explained that the paradigm change also changed the term "passenger" to "customer". According to him, the old term gives the passive impression, while the new term confirms an active service relationship.

"Since we turned into driven customers, now we are called customers. The term starts from the directors to the officers in the field, all mention customers, so there is no longer a passenger term," he explained.

This change in direction, he continued, is not just a matter of terms, but a big paradigm shift in the body of the transportation regionally owned enterprise (BUMD). The focus is now no longer on how many buses operate, but how many residents are really served.

Welfizon also revealed that Transjakarta had faced difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the mobility of residents has decreased drastically, services are still running to support essential sectors.

Now, post-pandemic, the number of subscribers has increased sharply again. "If last year we served 372 million subscribers, this year the target has reached more than 400 million. Until the third quarter there have been 298 million subscribers. We are optimistic about achieving the target," said Welfizon.

Furthermore, Transjakarta is now trying to build an integrated, technology-based, smart mobility ecosystem or public transportation service, and placing residents as policy centers.

"We are no longer talking about just a busway, but how this service is part of a smart city, where residents are the center. Because Transjakarta is not only a customer of the centric, but a citizen of the centric," explained Welfizon.

In addition, Member of Commission B of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Muhammad Taufik Zoelkifli, assessed that the improvement of transportation services is not only to keep tariffs affordable, but also to ensure a sense of security and comfort for residents. He considered that good public transportation reflects the government's alignment with the community.

Taufik said, in the last five years, Jakarta has managed to surpass cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and even Manila in the quality of public mobility.

"If we compare it, five years ago transportation in Kuala Lumpur was still better than Jakarta. But now, the survey shows that Jakarta has surpassed Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and even Manila. We are still below Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong," said Taufik.

Towards the 500th anniversary of Jakarta in 2027, the DKI DPRD targets an increase in public mobility which is efficient and friendly to residents as the best gift for the capital city.

"Two more years, Jakarta will be 500 years old, to be precise in 2027. We are in the DPRD, especially in Commission B, which partners with the transportation sector, will continue to encourage mobility in Jakarta to be better and more efficient," he added.